Project 11780
{{Short description|Proposed Soviet amphibious assault ship}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
}} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = | Ship caption = }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=Project 11780 |Builders= |Operators=*{{navy|Soviet Union}} |Class before={{sclass|Moskva|helicopter carrier|4}} {{sclass|Khalzan|helicopter carrier|4}} |Class after=Project 23900 |Subclasses= |Cost= |Built range= |In service range= |In commission range= |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= 2 |Total ships completed= |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships in reserve |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Ship type = Amphibious assault ship | Ship displacement = 25,000 tons standard | Ship length = {{convert|196|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|35|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = {{convert|8|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship power = 180000 hp (132.4 MW) | Ship propulsion = Steam Turbines | Ship speed = {{convert|30|kn}} | Ship range = {{convert|8000|mi}} at {{convert|18|kn}} | Ship capacity = *4 x Ondatra-class landing craft
| Ship complement = | Ship time to activate = | Ship sensors = | Ship EW = | Ship armament = *1×2 130 mm AK-130 naval gun
| Ship armour = | Ship aircraft = *Up to 12 military helicopters, mix of: | Ship aircraft facilities = | Ship notes = }} |
Project 11780 Kherson was an unrealized 1980s Soviet LHD program derived from the {{sclass|Kiev|aircraft carrier}} design comparable to the US {{sclass|Tarawa|amphibious assault ship|1}}. The ship would have been about 25,000 tons displacement, with steam turbine power plants and carried about 12 helicopters and four Ondatra-class landing craft or two Tsaplya-class LCACs.{{cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/11780.htm|title=Project 11780 Universal Landing Ship Kherson "Ivan Tarava"|website=globalsecurity.org|access-date=21 July 2020}}
Development
The development of the Project 11780 began when Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR Sergey Gorshkov ordered the development of a fully-fledged universal landing ship. The design and purpose of the ship evolved throughout the development. Initially, the ship was intended solely for landing operations. Then the General Staff proposed turning the Project 11780 ships into universal aircraft-carrying ships by equipping them with a bow ski-jump ramp, allowing the deployment of helicopters to bolster the air support for the landing troops.
It was planned to build two ships: "Kherson" and "Kremenchuk". The pair would have a standard displacement of 25,000 tons, making it only could be built at the Chernomorsky Shipyard. At that time, the slipways of the Black Sea Shipyard were scheduled for the construction of Project 1143.5 aircraft carriers, which then triggered a "struggle for the slipway". The General Staff, placing great importance on the construction of the LHDs, proposed building them instead of the aircraft carriers.
Ending
This proposal was opposed by the Navy Commander-in-Chief. Understanding that the construction of the LHDs, due to the lack of required shipbuilding capacity, would likely lead to the abandonment of Project 1143.5 aircraft carriers. And so a cunning trick was employed. By the Commander-in-Chief’s order, an AK-130 artillery mount was placed on the bow, directly in front of the flight deck. The Naval Research Institute was tasked with providing a "scientific" justification for the presence of such armament and its placement. As a result, the General Staff lost interest in the project, and the construction was postponed.
At the request of the Minister of Defense, Marshal Dmitry Ustinov, the tasks of Project 11780 were expanded to include peacetime tracking of enemy submarines in the seas. Ultimately, all these changes led to the Project 11780 ships never being laid down.
==See also==
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/ship-soviet-2.htm
- https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/12/russia-to-begin-construction-of-lhd-in-2020-part-1/
{{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945}}
Category:Helicopter carrier classes
Category:Amphibious warfare vessel classes
Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the Soviet Union
Category:Amphibious warfare vessels of the Soviet Union
Category:Proposed aircraft carriers
Category:Abandoned military projects of the Soviet Union
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